Oh September? Where did you go? It seems only yesterday that I was barelegged, with an Aperol Spritz in-hand, preoccupied with religiously applying Factor 50 to every visible inch of skin (yes, even in a British Summer!)

I guess all good things have to come to an end.

To celebrate the return of conkers, crunchy leaves and my reasonably impressive scarf collection, here are some of my favourite "things" from the past month!

Reading Retro Blog Posts

Over the past month I've spent a fair bit of time going through the deep dark archives of some of my favourite Bloggers, peering back into a world where Brexit was yet to come, American Apparel Disco Pants were all the rage and Topshop had just launched its first beauty range (that should date it for you!)

Also ombre hair, that was the trend that just kept giving.

In all seriousness though, this was the time when I enjoyed Blogging the most.

As I've said before, I first fell in love with the Blogging community because it represented an alternative to the unobtainable lifestyles and beauty standards portrayed in the mainstream media.

As the years have gone by, blogging content has slowly edged towards the aesthetics previously found in an editorial spread from a glossy magazine. Everything seems to be perfect - perfect photography picturing perfect products and #blessed lifestyles.

To be honest, I've recently unfollowed a number of creators who fall into the category described above. Not because I don't recognise their talent or hard work, but because I'm not interested in a fantasy that makes my own life feel crap by comparison.

I want to write about the good and bad things in my life (which I admit is ironic when stated in a favourites post!) and I want to read content produced by other imperfect humans.

After my NYX concealer died a death (RIP you decent and cheap little thing), I decided that I wanted to treat myself to something more splurge-tastic on the concealer front. After all, it's a pretty vital bit of kit.

My main criteria really centred around the fact that a. I only buy cruelty free products and b. I need a shade that is very pale, with no yellow under-tones in sight.

After spending way too long in Space NK swatching everything in sight, I was finally recommended this Nars concealer, which is also much-hyped in the Blogging world.

As you can see in my (questionable) pictures below, the shade 1 Fair Chantilly is a pretty damn good match. As the name suggests, it's an extremely creamy texture which blends well and seems to last a full day with minimal creasing.

Korres is perhaps slightly lesser known here in the UK, however the now international beauty brand started life in Athens, founded by pharmacist Georgios Korres in 1996. Here in the UK, the full range can be found online and in stockists such as Waitrose, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer,

Since pulling out of China, Korres is now cruelty free (yey!). This recently prompted me to start investigating a couple of products, including this serum which has found a firm place in my nighttime routine.

I have dry/combination skin which is prone to breakouts. This serum does a great job of providing hydration without overloading my skin. The only criticism I have really concerns the texture, which is quite tacky and takes a while to sink in.

These are two of my favourite restaurants in York, both of which I have been lucky enough to dine in over the past month!

Ambiente Tapas is a local chain with restaurants in York, Leeds and Hull which serves some of the best Tapas we have had outside of Spain. We usually go for the set menu for two, plus a couple of extra dishes because we are greedy pigs. They also have an excellent sherry selection, alongside a decent wine list.

Pavement Vaults is a pub and "canteen" which is all about BBQ and smoked dishes. Think down-and-dirty American dining with a side of Yorkshire craft beer. I always go for the Vaults Burger, which comes with a 6oz patty, Monterey Jack cheese and smoked bacon. It's definitely a treat kind of meal, but well worth the occasional calorie indulgence!

Evening walks and earlier sunsets

As the days get shorter, I've been taking the opportunity to take dusk-time walks down the river with Des.

The light is so beautiful at this time of evening - refracting off the water to make gorgeous dappling patterns. It's also lovely to see the leaves edging ever further to rust each time, at the moment I'd say things are about 50/50 green and brown here in the North.